Football clubs for marginalized groups

One of FFAV’s utmost missions is to create an accessible environment for all children to play grassroots football and experience life skill educations through a variety of physical activity games. To achieve this goal, we pay a special focus on children from marginalized groups.

Football for all

We are establishing clubs in minority and resettlement areas in social centers and SOS children’s villages where we are bringing opportunities to anyone who has a passion for football to join us in our 15 years of activities in Thua Thien Hue province. With special sponsors from FIFA Program Support and UEFA Foundation for Children, the number of clubs for disadvantaged groups has reached 20 with 9 clubs at social centers, 1 club at SOS Children Village, and 10 clubs in resettlement areas. In 2018 we established one more football club: Quang Thanh 2 FC in a resettlement area.

Quang Thanh 2’s young players at the Establishment Ceremony

We believe that sports, especially football, have the power of bringing major contributions to children’s development. Especially with FFAV, where “football and life skills” always go hand in hand, children’s development means even so much more. Learning through playing is extremely effective, and studies have proven that life skills obtained through activities are more likely to be understood and remembered than when the same information and training are done in traditional ways, such as in a regular classroom setting. In every event, we encourage children from marginalized populations to participate so that they understand that they are perfectly accepted and are given an opportunity to socialize, learn and play like others.

Children from marginalized groups confidently singing at an FFF event

Football, other than acting as a healthy means for education and entertainment, is also an amazing platform which helps turn some wild dreams into reality. Recently, 4 young players who had extremely deprived backgrounds and are now living in Xuan Phu social center had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the FIFA Foundation Festival, an official event of FIFA World Cup in Russia. The opportunity to participate in the festival gave them the chance to make friends, network and learn how to adapt in an international environment. The 4 students coming from such backgrounds and trying their best to be chosen for a huge scale event is also motivation and inspiration for many more children to keep striving and finding opportunities for themselves.

FFAV Delegation at FIFA Foundation Festival 2018 in Russia

We are so proud with the values we are bringing to communities and we wish to be able to continue this good work to fulfill our cause reflected in the name itself – “Football for All in Vietnam.”